Q&A: Randy Johnson: Yankees lefthander Randy Johnson has returned to the American League after 6 1/2 seasons in the N.L. He talked with Insider Ken Rosenthal about his motivation for wanting to play in the Bronx, among other topics, during an interview that will appear Sunday on FOX Sports Net Across America

Sporting News, The, April 1, 2005 by Ken Rosenthal

TSN: Why was your heart set on the Yankees?

JOHNSON: I don't think my heart was ever set on the Yankees. But if you're going to trade me and I have the option of picking where I want to go, I think that--no disrespect to the other 28 teams--but I'm going to go where I have an opportunity to win.

TSN: You are 54 wins short of 300. What do you think your chances are of reaching 300?

JOHNSON: If it happens, it happens; it's not why I came here. I've already done more things in my career than I've ever imagined. I've been able to be very fortunate enough to have my name put amongst some of the great power pitchers in this game.

TSN: Which is the bigger issue for you now, knee or back?

JOHNSON: I think the only issue is people bringing it up. Just to look at me from the start of the year to the end of the year. Would you say there is anything wrong with me?

TSN: How much more difficult is it to prepare physically at age 41 than it was at 31?

JOHNSON: Those are some of the things I tried telling some of the younger kids in Arizona. The sooner you learn how to prepare mentally and physically, it will stay with you as time goes on. And now, because I've been preparing this way for the last 10, 11 years, it's nothing different to me. I might have to do some more preparation physically in the weight room, but at least I already have the ideas of what I want to do.

TSN: You have pursued some unusual training techniques. How did that come about?

JOHNSON: Just wanting to get better. I mean, I've explored all of the options, all of the things that would hopefully allow me to get better.

TSN: You use a knee brace that is dipped in liquid titanium. How does that work?

JOHNSON: The titanium penetrates through the knee and allows the positive and negative ions in your body to align so you get blood flowing in that area that normally wouldn't flow as freely. It's much like the golfers who wear the gold or copper bracelets on their wrist when they are playing.

TSN: What about the hyper-baric chamber?

JOHNSON: It's just common knowledge that any athlete who is depleted of oxygen tries to get more oxygen intake for quicker recovery. You see football players who, after running for a 30- or 40-yard touchdown, the first thing they are doing is the oxygen tank.

TSN: What do you anticipate will be your most difficult adjustment with the Yankees?

JOHNSON: I'm not going to adjust anything. I'm going to go out there and do the things that I've been doing.

TSN: You apologized right away for the incident in New York with the television cameraman. Did you learn something from that?

JOHNSON: I was wrong for doing it. And we'll just leave it at that.

TSN: Is it better that it happened right away?

JOHNSON: Some people say that, but I suppose if someone is right in my face again, and I tell them three or four times to get out of my face, it could happen again. Being a photographer, I know that most cameras like that have zoom lenses. Get back about 15 to 20 feet. Don't get in my face. That's all I told him. I told him that for about a block. They seemed to edit out that audio part of it.